THE Value Added Timber Association (VATA) Enterprises Limited is partnering with Australia to promote sustainable timber production in Solomon Islands.
Under the Solomon Islands-Australia partnership, VATA will support smallholder farmers to harvest, mill, and export plantation timber to Australia and New Zealand.
Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, His Excellency Rod Hilton, and Solomon Islands Minister of Forestry and Research, Hon. Makario Tagini, visited the VATA headquarters at Henderson to see firsthand VATA’s operations.
Minister Tagini said the collaboration with Australia aligned with the Solomon Islands’ Government’s National Forest Policy on sustainable plantation timber, a key to the forestry sector’s future.
“With Australia’s support, we are strengthening the capacity of our smallholder farmers to gain access to international markets, leading to long-term economic growth for our communities,” Minister Tagini said.
“As the Minister responsible, I extend my heartfelt thanks for the invaluable support provided by Australia and the signing of this partnership agreement marks a critical step forward, particularly in encouraging more processing within the country.”
“The way forward lies in investing in downstream processing. I am confident this partnership will support VATA and help secure a sustainable future for our forestry sector.”
High Commissioner Hilton, said that through the partnership Australia is supporting creation of higher-value products for export.
“This means more income and more jobs for Solomon Islanders. Australia is right behind VATA’s efforts to support a more sustainable approach to forestry in Solomon Islands.”
The smallholder plantations scattered across Solomon Islands face substantial challenges due to their remote locations, costs of transportation and limited market access.
To address these issues, Australia and VATA are piloting a cost-sharing model with selected smallholder farmers in Guadalcanal, Isabel, and Central Provinces.
Under this model, farmers will cover operational costs related to harvesting and milling the timber, while VATA will provide machinery, technical assistance and facilitate exports of the timber to overseas markets.
President of VATA, Hon. Brally Tavalia said VATA is grateful to the Australian Government for the continued partnership.
“With this support, we are confident we can deliver high quality timber products to meet the growing demand locally and internationally. We look forward to exporting our first container of teak overseas shortly.”
The new approach is expected to increase VATA’s exports of plantation teak timber to international buyers in Australia and New Zealand and incentivise local landowners to plant more trees.
General Manager of VATA, Gordon Mwakamwane, commended the partnership’s positive impact on VATA and smallholder farmers across the country.
“This collaboration brings the resources and technical support needed to overcome the challenges of harvesting and processing plantation timber, create new export opportunities to benefit our farmers, industry and the environment.”
Source: Australian High Commission, Solomon Islands
